


Changes

by rubychan05



Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s01e13 The Parting of the Ways, First Kiss, M/M, Multi, Non-Canonical Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-08-27
Updated: 2007-08-27
Packaged: 2018-03-08 00:07:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3188351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubychan05/pseuds/rubychan05
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Parting Of The Ways: What if Rose had died, and Jack had stayed with the Doctor?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Changes

She took the Heart of the TARDIS into herself to save him, and in doing so brought about her own destruction.

The Bad Wolf took over, wiped every trace of Rose Tyler from existence. And even when the Doctor removed the energy of the Time Vortex from her it was too late. There was nothing left, and when he checked her pulse afterwards it was only to find a struggling heartbeat that faded right beneath his touch.

Gone.

Stumbling back into the TARDIS, the Doctor practically fell against the console, eyes staring blankly ahead. Rose was dead. The final battle…it felt like it had all been for nothing. He had saved Earth, yes…but in doing so had lost Rose and the beautiful spirit she had once possessed.

He paused, realising that Jackie would want Rose’s body back. He had taken her daughter away from her; the least he could do was bring her body home. He left the TARDIS again, slowly making his way over to Rose’s body and lifting it carefully in his arms. He hated how she just hung limply there, like a broken doll that couldn’t be played with any more.

He was about to turn and move back into the TARDIS when he heard the sound of running feet, causing him to stiffen and instinctively grip Rose’s body tighter as though the mystery person might steal her from him. He didn’t understand; the Daleks had worked their way up the whole Satellite, systematically destroying every person or alien they came across. There was no way they would have left someone alive on a whim or otherwise.

Had he not heard the Captain’s frantic shouts, and the firing of a Dalek’s death ray coupled with the thud of his body crashing to the floor, the Doctor would have assumed from the heavy footfalls of what were clearly boots that it was Jack running after him. But Jack was dead and gone too, just like Rose. He’d lost them both that day.

He wondered if Jack had anyone who would want his body back. The Doctor had never asked about Jack’s home life, and now he regretted it. He’d have to go back into the corridor and look for him…he couldn’t just leave him here on the station to rot. Jack had given his life to let the Doctor finish a weapon he never used; he deserved a proper cremation somewhere at the least.

But when the door was flung open, it was Jack who rushed in, very much alive.

It only took one look at the man for the Doctor to realise what he had become, what Rose had done to him in her attempt to control the Vortex. From the looks of it, Jack himself had no idea – the Captain certainly wouldn’t be looking quite so ecstatic if he knew what fate had in store for him.

“Doctor! You’re alright!” Jack was laughing, relief clearly evident in his voice. “I was afraid the Daleks had got you! I mean sure, there’s loads of Dalek dust around, but that didn’t mean you were still…”

His voice tailed off, and the Doctor knew that Jack must have just noticed Rose. He stumbled forward, eyes fixed on her lifeless body, and the Doctor thought for a moment that the Captain was about to cry as he reached with trembling hands to smooth back the blonde hair from her face.

But Jack just closed his eyes and breathed in, visibly bringing himself under control and shutting away the grief to be dealt with another time, in private. The Doctor had seen other Time Agents use the technique before; it was taught to most of the students at the Time Academy in the hope that it would stop them being incapacitated by grief in the middle of a battle.

He’d have to make sure Jack did let it all out at one point though, the Doctor thought detachedly. He’d seen Agents break down under the strain of never taking the time to get to grips with all their bottled up feelings.

“I thought you sent her home.” Jack whispered, his voice raw in the silent darkness. The Doctor smiled bitterly, holding the young London girl close.

“I did. She looked into the Heart of the TARDIS and came back. She destroyed the Daleks – not me. It cost her her life.”

Jack was quiet for a moment, before lifting his head to grin wanly at the Doctor, the expression a mere shadow of Jack’s cheeky smile.

“She always was the feisty one. Do you need any help getting her inside?”

“No. She’s not that heavy.”

They walked in silence back into the TARDIS, for once continuing straight on through the console room to a chamber that the Doctor rarely used. Or to be more accurate, one he always hoped he’d have no need of.

Together they laid Rose down on a flat table built into the wall, arranging her so that it looked almost as if she were merely sleeping. A few more regretful caresses from the Doctor, a kiss goodbye on the forehead from Jack, and the pair moved back. The Doctor passed his hand over a small panel on the wall and a translucent energy shield blocked Rose from the rest of the room, a cloud of cool air streaming out of an overhead vent to keep her body cool.

They stood there a moment, neither speaking as they gazed upon her. After a few minutes Jack left the room, but the Doctor remained. He stood there unmoving, and pretended he couldn’t hear the heart wrenching sobs that echoed down the TARDIS corridors from where Jack clearly hadn’t been able to make it back to his room in time.

Eventually the Doctor felt he’d grieved enough and he too left, walking back to the console room with a heavy heart. The loss of Rose would hurt deeply for quite some time he knew, but they had to move the TARDIS on. Especially as he could feel the Vortex throbbing stronger and stronger inside of him with every passing minute. He’d been managing to hold it back, but now it had gone far past the point of no return.

Jack was there already, sitting on the sofa and staring intently at the monitor, as though the piles of dust out there might suddenly come roaring back into existence. He looked up at the Doctor’s entrance, smiling as though he hadn’t just fallen to pieces within earshot of the Doctor and made the halls of the TARDIS ring with his frustrated cries. And with that one action the Doctor felt an almost overwhelming fondness for this human he’d once been so reluctant to let onboard the TARDIS.

Jack deserved to know. The man may be flexible, but even the most adaptable of his companions had been freaked out in the past by him regenerating. It was time to learn from his mistakes and actually prepare Jack for what was coming.

“Jack Harkness. I was gonna take you to so many places. Barcelona - not the city Barcelona, the planet. You'd love it. Fantastic place - they've got dogs with no noses. Imagine how many times a day you end up telling that joke, and it's still funny!”

Jack smiled.

“Then why don’t we go after we…after we drop Rose back? Try and find somewhere to get over all of this…”

“Maybe you will. And maybe I will. But not like this.”

“You’re not making sense.”

“I might never make sense again. I might have two heads. Or no head! Imagine me with no head! And don’t say that’s an improvement…I know for a fact that you’re very partial to my ears.”

He waggled them teasingly and Jack laughed, the old spark returning.

“But it’s a bit dodgy, this process. You never know what you’re going to end up with…”

A blast of golden light from within suddenly propelled the Doctor backwards, and he clutched at his stomach in agony. Jack made as if to leap off the sofa and run for him, his face worried.

“Doctor!”

“Stay away!” The Doctor snapped desperately, and Jack slowly sat back on the sofa, looking confused.

“What’s going on? Tell me, Doctor!”

“I absorbed all the energy of the Time Vortex, and no one’s meant to do that! I thought it would save Rose but…” He paused, screwing up his eyes in pain that was both physical and emotional. “Every cell in my body’s dying.”

“Can’t you…what is it you Time Lords do…regenerate?” Jack’s voice shook as he asked the question, and the Doctor tried his best to grin reassuringly at Jack. That man would never cease to amaze him – anyone else would have needed it to be explained, as slowly and painstakingly as the little time they had allowed. But Jack…despite his easygoing appearance, Jack had clearly listened in class at the Agency, and remembered it well. Chances were though, he’d only been told that the Time Lords ‘renewed’ themselves. The Agency never had quite got to grips with the finer aspects of the process.

“Yeah, I’m doing it now! Except…it means I’m going to change. And I’m not gonna see you again. Not like this. Not with this daft old face. And before I go…”

“Don’t say that.” Now Jack really looked scared. He’d been right – the Agency hadn’t explained it very well at all. Those last words had really thrown the other time traveller now.

“Jack…before I go, I just wanna tell you, you were fantastic. Standing your ground like that…you were brilliant. And you know what?”

Jack shook his head, and the Doctor grinned.

“So was I.” Jack laughed at that, only to yelp and shift backwards as the Doctor convulsed and exploded into orange energy, glittering whorls of light blasting out of the openings in his clothes. The heat was incredible and he had to shield his eyes, yet he couldn’t look away, transfixed as he was by the terrible beauty of the scene before him.

He watched as the Doctor's hair lengthened and his face changed, clothes falling loose around a body that was far too thin for them. Until finally the energy faded, leaving behind what looked to be a complete stranger in the Doctor’s old clothes.

“Hello! Okay…oh. New teeth. That’s weird. Now where we…ah, Barcelona, wasn’t it?”

“Doctor?” Jack ventured, looking slightly shell shocked. At the Doctor’s nod he edged closer, ready to run at a moment’s notice but willing to trust for now. Carefully reaching out he gripped the Doctor’s arm, instinctively relaxing as he felt how solid it was…solid in a way that only the Doctor had ever been.

The Doctor grinned.

“So? What do you think? Bit thinner, bit more hair…and you gotta love the new mole. Wait, you can’t see it. Oh never mind, just trust me – it’s brilliant, honestly…” His voice trailed off as he saw the lost look on Jack’s face.

“Jack? Are you alright? It’s still me, you know.” He said gently if not a bit uncomfortably. Jack swallowed, seemingly trying to pull himself together as he met the Doctor’s worried gaze.

“Sorry. It’s just…just a bit much to deal with all at once. I’ll get used to it, I’m sure.” He apologised weakly. The Doctor looked crestfallen.

“You want me to change back, don’t you?”

“What? No! No, you’re fine as you are…could you? Could you change back?”

“Not really.” The Doctor shifted uneasily, moving back from Jack and reaching behind himself to tap an awkward rhythm against the console.

“Oh. But like I said, it’s fine…I’m a flexible guy, I’ll get used to it in a few minutes. Just got to get my head round it all.” Jack hastened to say. The Doctor still looked upset though.

“No, I can tell – you’re not happy. I’ll take you home. Back to the 51st century.”

He began to key in the coordinates, only to stop as Jack wrapped a firm hand round his wrist.

“It’s fine. I’m fine. You’re fine. Stop worrying so much – you have to give a guy time to adjust to things. I honestly think you look just as wonderful now as you did before. If not more delicious.” Jack said decisively. The Doctor blinked.

“Since when did this turn into a chance for you to flirt with me again?”

“What? I can’t compliment a newly regenerated Time Lord on his appearance anymore? Sheesh. And I was so looking forward to seeing that brilliant mole.” Jack winked, his voice teasing. 

The Doctor did a double take, staring at the now chuckling Captain. Only Jack…

“I’ll have you know, I do not go showing off my back to all and sundry thankyou very much. Some things are just meant to be kept private outside the bedroom, no matter what Earth culture says.” The Doctor retorted, crossing his arms. Jack laughed, his eyes twinkling.

“Then I guess I better buy you that drink then.”

“I’m sorry?” The Doctor frowned in confusion, only to let out an undignified squeak as Jack caught him off guard and kissed him soundly.

“So I can do that, and hopefully get to be inside the bedroom.” Jack leered. The Doctor blinked dazedly, his brown eyes unfocused as he gazed dumbly at Jack.

“I think I’ve changed my mind. You don’t need to buy me a drink.” He said weakly. Jack snickered.

“Man, this regeneration’s definitely much easier than the last.” He mused. “But I think I’ll still buy you that drink…I like to think I’ve earned my conquests.”

“Conque…hey! Don’t be cheeky!” The Doctor protested, snapping back to normal.

“Sorry Doc, it’s the way I am. But aren’t you forgetting something?”

The Doctor opened his mouth to ask what, only to wince as his mind flashed back to an image of Rose lying there, never to run with him again. Seeing the Doctor’s face contort Jack moved closer, taking the Time Lord’s hand in his and squeezing it reassuringly.

“I’ll look after you, you know. And I’ll stay as long as you want me to.” He said honestly. The Doctor chuckled lowly, gripping Jack’s hand in turn and allowing a reassuring arm to be wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him close.

“I don’t need looking after – I’m meant to be the one looking after you. Fine mess I made of it this time too.”

“Then just this once, Doctor. For me…” Jack murmured. “Let someone else take the strain just this once. Let me look after you.”

The Doctor shuddered in his arms. And finally, mercifully, cried. Not just for Rose, though she was at the fore of his mind. But for Katarina, Jamie and Adric, and all the other companions that he had lost through death or simple desertion over the years.

And Jack held on. The one companion who he knew would never leave him.

**Author's Note:**

> Wow. I was 17 when I wrote this. Eeeeek. There are certain things I still love about this and a few things I wish I knew how to change without turning this into a novel-length monster. Like the way I handled the Doctor's regeneration temporarily holding back the pain of Rose's death. I wish I'd made that clearer and given them more time to grieve properly.
> 
> Find me on Tumblr under [rubychan05](http://rubychan05.tumblr.com/). I'm a mix of mainly Les Miserables, Musketeers, Sherlock and Teen Wolf at the moment, mainlining Doctor Who during series broadcasts...though obviously these things change!


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